Suns Sign, Waive Paul Watson
7:31 pm: As expected, Watson was waived by the Suns, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. Watson’s next stop will likely be with Phoenix’s G League affiliate.
8:16 am: The Suns have signed wing Paul Watson, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
Terms were not disclosed but it’s safe to assume it’s an Exhibit 10 contract. Phoenix’s NBA G League team, the Valley Suns, acquired Watson’s returning rights on Monday from the Austin Spurs in exchange for the rights to Lindell Wigginton and Matt Lewis.
Watson, 28, played in Germany briefly after going undrafted out of Fresno State in 2017, but has since bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G League.
The 6’6″ guard/forward, who has shown some three-and-D potential, appeared in 46 total NBA games for the Hawks, Raptors, and Thunder from 2020-22, as well as 142 regular season and Showcase Cup NBAGL contests for the Westchester Knicks, Raptors 905, and Oklahoma City Blue from 2017-22.
He’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Valley Suns.
Bulls Waive Onuralp Bitim, Kenneth Lofton Jr.
The Bulls have waived Onuralp Bitim and Kenneth Lofton Jr., the team tweets.
Bitim was battling for the last spot on the roster on a non-guaranteed contract. The 25-year-old would have received $350K if he had made the opening night roster. He underwent surgery for a detached retina in the spring.
Bitim began last season on a two-way contract but was promoted to Chicago’s standard roster in February. After making his NBA debut on February 22, he appeared in 22 total games for Chicago, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .381/.273/.800.
Lofton, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract in August, began last season on the Grizzlies’ 15-man roster, but was waived in December. He spent a couple months on a two-way deal with Philadelphia, then was waived again in March and signed a rest-of-season contract with the Jazz, who cut him before his ’24/25 salary became partially guaranteed.
Assuming Lofton isn’t claimed, he’ll receive a bonus worth $77.5K if he joins the G League’s Windy City Bulls and remains with them for at least 60 days.
The Bulls camp roster now stands at 18, including a pair of two-way players.
These moves would seemingly improve the chances of Talen Horton-Tucker making the roster. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract last month.
Spurs’ McDaniels Among Wednesday’s Cuts
The Spurs waived forward Jalen McDaniels on Wednesday, according to the NBA’s transactions log.
San Antonio acquired McDaniels earlier this week from the Kings in a salary dump. The deal sent McDaniels, cash, and the Kings’ unprotected 2031 second-round pick to San Antonio in exchange for the Bulls’ top-55 protected 2025 second-round pick.
At the time of the deal, it was reported the Spurs did not intend to keep McDaniels. San Antonio will be on the hook for McDaniels’ $4.74MM expiring contract, which it absorbed using its $8MM room exception. The Spurs have one of the lowest team salaries in the NBA and still have plenty of room below the tax line after eating his contract.
We have more waiver moves from Wednesday:
- The Nuggets waived Andrew Funk, Will Richardson and Charles Bediako. That trio was signed to Exhibit 10 deals last week. They’ll each earn a bonus worth $77.5K if they join Denver’s G League club, the Grand Rapids Gold, and remain with the team for at least 60 days.
- The Bucks waived guard James Akinjo. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in late August. The guard split time last season between the Stockton Kings and Wisconsin Herd. He’ll be eligible for $77.5K bonus if he rejoins the Herd and remains with them for at least 60 days.
Isaiah Hartenstein Fractures Left Hand
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, one of the summer’s top free agent acquisitions, sustained a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand during the second half of Tuesday’s preseason game in Denver. He will be reevaluated in five-to-six weeks, the Thunder announced on Thursday.
Given that timeline, Hartenstein will be sidelined until at least late November.
The injury temporarily derails Oklahoma City’s plans for a bigger lineup pairing Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Oklahoma City was already dealing with frontcourt injuries — Jaylin Williams is nursing a right hamstring strain, while Kenrich Williams had a knee procedure last month.
Jalen Williams figures to reclaim the power forward starting role until Hartenstein returns.
Hartenstein had a breakout season with the Knicks in his walk year and cashed in, signing a three-year, $87MM deal with the Thunder that includes a team option for 2026/27. Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game last season. He also started 13 postseason contests with Mitchell Robinson sidelined.
Hartenstein had appeared in three preseason games with the Thunder.
Nets Sign, Waive K.J. Jones
OCTOBER 16: The Nets have waived Jones, the team announced today, putting him on track to report to Long Island this fall.
OCTOBER 15: The Nets have signed wing K.J. Jones to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to the RealGM transactions log.
Brooklyn’s agreement with Jones was first reported in late June, shortly after the draft. He appeared in one Las Vegas Summer League game for Brooklyn.
Jones played his college ball at Division II Emmanuel University in Georgia, where he averaged 26.2 points per game in back-to-back seasons. He scored more than 3,600 total points over the course of his five-year collegiate career and posted a shooting line of .482/.371/.868 across those five seasons, also logging career averages of 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest.
Jones was the only Division II prospect to receive an invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this spring.
Jones will likely be waived and then join the G League’s Long Island Nets. He would be eligible for a bonus up to $77.5K if he stays with the G League team for at least 60 days.
Jazz Sign, Waive Justin Lewis
OCTOBER 16: The Jazz, as expected, have waived Lewis, the team officially announced on Wednesday.
OCTOBER 13: The Jazz have signed forward Justin Lewis, according to a team press release.
It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, so the plan is for Lewis to be waived and then rejoin the Salt Lake City Stars, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake City Tribune tweets.
Lewis appeared in 29 NBA G League regular season games during the 2023/24 season for the Stars, averaging 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per contest. Lewis previously spent portions of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons on a two-way contract with the Bulls. Chicago waived him in December.
The Baltimore native played two collegiate seasons at Marquette (2020-22).
Lewis will be eligible of a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Stars.
Southwest Notes: Minix, Edey, Pelicans Offense, Kleber
Undrafted rookie Riley Minix signed a training camp deal with the Spurs in July. The former Morehead State guard has been so impressive, he’s got a shot to earn one of the team’s two-way spots, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News writes.
Minix came into Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Heat averaging 7.8 points in 7.8 minutes per game while shooting 57.1% from 3-point range on 2.3 attempts per night. He didn’t get off the bench as the Spurs played their regulars to a great extent.
“He’s a young man that is probably still pinching himself that he is on an NBA team and doing what he is doing because it’s probably not what he expected several years ago,” coach Gregg Popovich said of the 24-year-old, who played four seasons at an NAIA school before joining Morehead State. “But he is a tough young man. He is intelligent. He learns. And he can shoot the basketball. He has become a pleasant surprise.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Some people were skeptical of whether former Purdue star center Zach Edey could make a smooth transition to the NBA. Edey, drafted in the lottery by the Grizzlies, put on a show against Indiana on Monday, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes. Edey finished with 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting in 19 minutes and had nine rebounds. Edey displayed a sweet hook shot and a variety of low-post moves. “History will likely show that where he was chosen in the draft was low,” opposing head coach Rick Carlisle said of the No. 9 overall pick after the game, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
- The Pelicans have ranked among the bottom 10 in the league in three-point attempts during Willie Green‘s first three seasons as head coach. Green is intent on changing that, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. New Orleans averaged 32.6 three-point tries last season. “The message has been pretty clear,” Zion Williamson said. “Get up at least 40 per game. That means we have to play with pace. And just play basketball. In the grand scheme of things, it’s definitely going to be a positive for us.”
- The Mavericks are hopeful big man Maxi Kleber will be able to suit up for the regular season opener, according to Dwain Price of Mavs.com. “He got hurt in September – right before camp. He stepped on someone’s foot and sprained his ankle,” coach Jason Kidd said. “But his rehab and everything, he’s doing great. He had a great workout this morning, so he should be, hopefully, ready to go on opening night.”
Heat Notes: Starting Lineup, Herro, Van Gundy, Smith
The Heat‘s projected opening-night starting lineup of Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo looked good against New Orleans during limited playing time on Sunday. Coach Erik Spoelstra was encouraged by what he saw, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“The group has gone at it with the right approach, the right mind-set just to roll up the sleeves and get to work and work on our system, work on getting comfortable with each other, working to each other’s strengths and finding different ways to do that,” Spoelstra said.
Injuries prevented Spoelstra from utilizing that five-man group last season.
“I think we have a great kind of balance between physicality and shooting, game outside of the paint and game inside the paint,” Jovic said. “I feel like that’s what people see. I feel like that lineup will be very versatile. But we for sure need some time like everybody else. Nothing can just happen from the jump. So we’ll see. But we’re really looking forward to playing together.”
We have more on the Heat:
- Herro notes that while the projected lineup doesn’t have a true point guard, it features several players capable of handling the ball, so he won’t be forced to bring it up the court regularly. That appeals to him, he told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It’s huge,” Herro said. “This is probably my first season besides my rookie year where I kind of don’t have as many ball-handling duties as I’ve had in the past. Obviously, I love having the ball in my hands. But being able to kind of flow into that is going to be easier on me and be more efficient on my game, just being able to play off of Terry, play off of Jimmy and Bam, and not necessarily having to be the main guard handling the ball.”
- Former Heat coach and current TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy is baffled by Miami’s offseason approach, believing the club has slipped among its Eastern Conference peers, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. Van Gundy made his comments during a TNT conference call. “I really don’t understand what’s going on there,” Van Gundy said. “They’re really a win-now team, which I respect, and they haven’t given, put a roster around there that has a chance. I think they got lulled into a false sense of security by the run to the Finals two years ago. And it was a great run, but they didn’t have a great team, and they didn’t have a great year. That’s not a very good roster. To me, that’s a play-in roster again.”
- Two-way player Dru Smith underwent ACL reconstruction surgery last November but showed he’s made an impressive recovery during Sunday’s preseason game. Smith had four points, three rebounds, two steals, one block and a team-high five assists in 16 minutes off the bench, Chiang notes. “I feel pretty good,” Smith said. “I mean, as good as I could have hoped for at this point. Yeah, I was hoping to be ready for training camp. We kind of jumped into it fairly quickly. I had played live like two or three times before camp started and then jumped right in. So it’s been going good. The knee has been responding really well.”
Grizzlies Convert Scotty Pippen Jr. To Four-Year Contract
6:37pm: Pippen Jr. has officially signed his new contract, the team’s PR department tweets.
5:02pm: The Grizzlies are promoting Scotty Pippen Jr. from his two-way contract to their standard roster and signing him to a new four-year deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Pippen appeared in 21 games for the injury-ravaged Grizzlies last season, including 16 starts, and averaged 12.9 points, 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He continued to play well in Summer League games, averaging 21.5 PPG, 8.7 APG and 5.0 RPG in six Las Vegas contests.
Pippen has the inside track at backing up Ja Morant if the club doesn’t acquire another point guard. Heading into camp, Pippen and Derrick Rose were the main candidates for that spot, but that changed quickly when Rose announced his retirement.
Pippen, 23, went undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Lakers that year and spent most of his time in the G League while appearing in six NBA contests. The Lakers waived him during training camp last October and he signed with the Grizzlies on that two-way contract in mid-January.
The Grizzlies will still have an open spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster, though they don’t necessarily need to add another player for opening night.
Bucks’ Terence Davis, Cavs’ Zhaire Smith Waived
The Bucks have waived guard Terence Davis, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
Davis was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract on Oct. 3. He played three G League games last season with the Rip City Remix and then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Davis faced long odds trying to make the Bucks’ roster and now he’ll likely return to the G League. As Nehm points out, the Wisconsin Herd acquired his returning player rights earlier this month.
Davis, 27, last played in the NBA for Sacramento in 2022/23, averaging 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 64 games. He began his NBA career in Toronto in 2019 and was dealt to the Kings at the 2021 trade deadline.
If Davis spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, he’ll be eligible for a bonus of up to $77.5K.
In another waiver move involving a Central Division team, the Cavaliers have waived Zhaire Smith, according to the NBA transactions log.
Smith signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Cleveland late last month. The former No. 16 overall pick spent most of last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League, briefly earning an NBA call-up on a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers in February.
In 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Cavs’ NBAGL affiliate, the 6’4″ guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest. Like Davis, he’ll be eligible for a bonus up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Charge.